The Urban Development Ministry on Thursday cleared the first batch of State level action plans worth Rs2,786 crore under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) for 89 cities in Andhra, Gujarat and Rajasthan with an aim to ensure water supply as per the norm and providing water supply and sewerage connections to all urban households.
A senior official from the Ministry said that the proposal In this regard was given go ahead in an inter-ministerial Apex Committee of AMRUT chaired by UD Secretary, Madhusudhan Prasad. This is for the first time that the Ministry approved State-level plans unlike the past practice of appraising and approving individual projects.
The approved action plans have a total of 143 projects in 89 AMRUT cities in the three States. “These include 47 schemes relating to ensuring water supply connections and augmenting water supply and 31 projects for expanding sewerage network services in identified cities and towns. The rest pertain to storm water drains, urban transport and green spaces and parks,” said the official.
Sewerage projects got a lion’s share of Rs1,471.07 crore followed by Rs1,225 crore for water supply-related schemes.
Gujarat proposed plans entailing an investment of Rs1,204.42 crore followed by Rajasthan — Rs919 crore and Andhra Pradesh proposing an investment of Rs662.86 crore.
Under the SAAP approved, Gujarat will take up sewerage projects in 25 AMRUT cities at a cost of Rs916 crore and water supply schemes in 11 cities with an investment of Rs233.65 crore while Rajasthan will take up sewerage schemes in 6 cities at a cost of Rs555 crore and water supply projects in 10 cities at a cost of Rs344 crore.
Andhra Pradesh will focus on water supply in 26 AMRUT cities at a cost of Rs646.29 crore and provision of green spaces and parks in 30 cities at a cost of Rs16.57 crore, said the official.
Under AMRUT, the Central Government will provide an assistance of 50 per cent of project cost for cities with a population of up to 10 lakhs each and one third of project cost for cities with a population of above 10 lakhs each. Rest of the project cost has to be borne by the states and urban local bodies.
The Mission seeks to ensure water supply of 135 litres per capita per day in urban areas besides providing water supply and sewerage connections to all urban households.